Buxton shortlisted for new pioneering electric passenger railway to ride on freight lines to Peak District beauty spots

The Buxton Town Team is leading this new proposal which, if successful, would see passengers on the lines currently used for freight only.

Tina Heathcote, a project leader for the town team, said: “We are standing on the edge of something very exciting.

“This is important for the town and would have long term positive impacts and we want to get everything right.”

In April 2022, working with Eversholt Rail, TDI, Northern Trains, the Friends of Buxton Station and the Community Rail Partnership, the Town Team commissioned a scoping study to look at the possibility of running the recently developed Revolution Very Light Rail, VLR, vehicle from Buxton Station to the beginning of the Monsal Trail at Blackwell Mill.

The town team say if they secure the new trains this will be the first time that light and heavy rail vehicles have been integrated on the same track and that this will provide useful information for developing similar schemes elsewhere in the UK using spare capacity on freight lines.

Access to the Monsal and Tissington Trails from Buxton is predominantly by private car along the busy A6 and A515.

Some of these journeys are from Buxton residents and others from the wider area served by the Peak District National Park. It is common to see bikes being unloaded from bike racks on cars at both northern termini of these trails as bike riding on both these A roads is considered too dangerous by most trail users.

Combined with a rail or bus journey from the wider Manchester catchment it is likely use of these trails, with their benefits of active travel and leisure, will increase but associated carbon emissions will drop.

Tina said: “This will provide a low carbon way for people to see the Peak District.

“People can get the bus or train into Buxton then get the new LVR and take in the trails and the scenery.”

The seats on the new trains would have capacity for 56 seats, but increase to 80 including standing passengers. It would also have the option to remove seats and provide a place for bicycles and pushchairs.

Tina said one feasibility study has already been conducted and the feedback came back saying it would not be easy and there may be several barriers which the team may come up against.

She said: “At every point we have looked at the possible hurdles and found a way to navigate them.

“One aspect is the signalling and we have worked with Network Rail and found a way we can run both the freight and passenger trains on the same line safely.

“Now we need to raise £100,000 for additional feasibility studies.

“A lot of funders don’t want to invest in something speculative but I honestly believe we can’t fail.

“We have already made it to the final three and I think Buxton has the potential to go all the way and that would be amazing news for Buxton and the Peak District.”

The new trains are currently being made and could be on the Buxton line from as soon as spring 2026.